


A Study Abroad

by IThoughtOfRhinos



Category: Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-01-02 13:36:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1057384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IThoughtOfRhinos/pseuds/IThoughtOfRhinos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of my other story, The Trip.  Meredith goes to London to visit James.  This story is a lot steamier than my other, so be warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a prologue to the actual story. This might also end up being a one shot in a series of vignettes about these two. We will see! Thanks for reading! :)

My phone buzzed, a very familiar sound.

 

_What are you wearing? -J_

 

I shook my head, and gave an amused smirk at the cheekiness of his recent emails.

It had been 3 months since I had first met James on our whirlwind tour of the East coast, and we had decided to keep in touch as much as possible via email, or the occasional phone call.

 

_Shouldn't you be asleep? -M_ ,I replied ignoring his previous email.

 

_Yes, but I can't no matter how hard I try. So, is that nothing at all, or a nighty, or a maid's outfit... I could go on...-J_

 

I laughed and sent a reply admonishing him for being a presumptuous old perv, and told him to try harder to go to sleep.

 

There was still nothing serious going on between us, but the flirting and teasing had become a major part of our interactions.

 

We had spent the holiday months sending desperate emails, attempting to entertain one another through boring family parties and business gift exchanges. He sent me a box of strong English tea, some weird chocolate bars, and a book of letters sent between James Joyce and Nora Barnacle (ass), and I send him framed blueprints I found of an old plane I found at a second had shop, and some mittens that folded back into fingerless gloves. To my surprise, he admitted that he loved the gloves, and wore them all the time in his garage, because they were “quite useful.” They were meant to be a joke...

 

On New Year's Eve, James emailed me a picture which he deemed a “selfie” of him looking very smart in a tux, looking perturbed, with a very drunk looking Richard Hammond kissing a blushing Mindy in the background. The shot was captioned; _New Year's tradition xxx -J_. The sentiment and dark humor was not lost on me, and James in a suit nearly made me swoon.

 

I was still slaving away on my dissertation, and James was busy filming, but we made sure to remain in contact. He would poke fun at me, asking about boyfriends and alike. We both knew our feelings for one another, however unspoken they might be.

 

As I delved into my writing and research, it became more and more clear that if I was writing about British Literature, I should get to the source. Partly for my writing, and partly to be closer to James, whether I got to see him or not.

 

I bought my ticket, and emailed James. _I'm coming to England. -M_ It was simple, but it was all I could muster. Of course, our friendship had grown, and gotten more adventurous, but I wasn't sure how James would react. I didn't ask if I could see him or say what my reasons for coming were, just that I would be there.

 

It was the next day before I heard back from him. _That's fantastic! When? I'd be more than happy to have you here if you're coming to London. -J_

 

My heart leaped. We worked out the particulars, and sooner than I was prepared for, I was on a plane to New York for a layover before landing at Heathrow.  


	2. The Tour

I was nervous for the entire plane ride. How should I act around James now that our “friendship” (or whatever it was) had progressed as it had. All of this fell away with one glance. There, in the middle of the crowded terminal, he stood in his gray shirt and worn jeans, his hair falling madly about his face.

He bobbed back and forth, looking for me in the throng of airport goers. I had spotted him before he saw me, and his excitement to find me nearly made me melt. I gave him a small wave, and his eyes fixed to mine.A smile jumped to his face, urging me to quicken my pace.

  
“Hello” he beamed. I didn't know if I should hug him, or jump on him, or clonk him over the head and drag him to the nearest darkened hallway. I took a deep, steadying breath, “Hi” I sighed happily. Always choosing helpfulness over emotion, James took my carry on, and ushered me toward baggage claim.

Once we escaped the bustle of the airport, James finally spoke freely. “Welcome to England” he grinned. “Thanks" I returned gently bumping him with my shoulder. We approached a boxy black Fiat, and James took my rolling case while fishing a set of car keys out of his pocket. “I was not expecting _this_ ” I laughed. “What, you expected the Rolls?” he asked incredulously. “Well...Yea!” I offered, “Who d'you fink yo dealin' wif'?” I bullied in a terrible put on accent. James rolled his eyes, and motioned for me to just get in the car.

Our flirting came back effortlessly, and I was glad. This would be a long trip if we started being awkward around one another.

“Did you eat on the plane?” He asked, pulling a face that was supposed to be disgust. “No” I replied, face mirroring his, “I didn't have the stomach for it.” I shrugged. “Are you hungry?” he questioned as we pulled away from the airport. “Just tired” I sighed playfully. “Take me home James” I bit my lip as I said this, hopefully giving him a hint.

James glanced over at me and waggled his eyebrows, “Yes, mum” he replied with a small salute, shifting the car down unnecessarily and roaring the sad little engine of the Panda as we set off. As he changed gears, his hand brushed against the side of my leg. It was the first contact we had made since I arrived. I was playing the scene of my arrival in my head on the plane. James, with flowers, charging towards me and taking me in his arms. But I knew him better than that. This _was_ James after all. The truth is I was waiting for him to touch me, and for now, this would have to do... And boy was it doing.

Something about being away from James had made my libido run wild. I was no longer in control of it, and I often felt like a boy going through puberty. If the smallest touches to the side of my denim clad leg were already doing this to me, I was in trouble.

It wasn't long before we were pulling up in front of a quiet house, on a quiet street. James got my bags and let me inside. He flicked the lights on. “How about a tour?” he offered. He insisted on carrying my rolling bag and my carry on, around the house as he showed me around. I was not known for packing light, so it made him look a bit silly.

We moved through the kitchen, there was a small two person table, modest stove, and sink. The only color in the entire thing was a big obnoxiously yellow fridge that had obviously come with the house. The living area was sparse. There was a very modern television, a large comfy looking couch, a big well worn leather chair, a fireplace, and a lovely piano. “He pointed to several things in the room, “TV, books, chair, uh...” He looked around before pointing to the piano, “Noisy furniture.” I laughed at how horrible he was at this. There was a small room across a narrow hallway that was lined with white bookshelves filled to bursting with books. “This is my study” he said in a very museum curator kind of way. It was messier than I had expected. There was a desk with a laptop where several books and sheets of paper were in a neat clutter. There were bits of things made from Lego, and Mechano,  and a few award statues sitting atop a mantle of another fireplace. There was another set of large leather chairs that looked unused, and a massive printer that beeped loudly every so often. “Bloody hate that thing” he remarked, shaking his head at the advanced piece of machinery.

We walked to the stairs. “Ignore the horrific stair carpet” he said, ushering me ahead of him and upward. There was a small bathroom and across the hall was where I would be staying. There was a large plush looking white bed, laid on top was a small stack of white towels. He had done the bedroom up in preparation for me to be there, and I loved it. “Hungry?” he asked from the doorway. “Not very. Could use a beer though” I smiled.

We stood in his kitchen drinking beers and talking quietly. I settled myself against the counter, and took everything in. None of the china matched, there was a dusty bag of cat food on top of the fridge, and a strange foot tall action figure of Jesus on one of the shelves... I decided not to ask and drank my beer quietly.

We stood there smiling wildly at one another. There was some chatter about my flight, and some awkward shuffling around the kitchen when James brought out some snacks. We were dancing around one another, and I wanted it to stop. I wanted his hands on me. I wanted his lips on mine. He finally stopped puttering around and settled on fiddling with the cheese wire on the counter.

He took a handful of peanuts and began popping them into his mouth one by one. When he finished, he brought his tongue to his lips, in a way I had seen him do a million times, leaving them glistening. That was it.

“James...” His eyes met mine. I set my drink vaguely in the direction of the counter, and pressed an open palm to his chest. No sooner than I touched him did his hands find the sides of my face and his lips pressed to mine in a deep, needy kiss.

A surprised, muffled moan escaped my lips and I brought my hand up to rest under the collar of his shirt, my fingertips tingling with the heat of his skin. Our lips slid against each other, and my tongue begged entrance. There was a stutter as James hesitated to open up to me, but he quickly gave in to my slick temptations. When our tongues made first contact, James took a sharp breath and tangled his hands even further into my hair, tugging at it roughly. He pressed me back against the counter, and our hips came together with an abrupt buck from James.

I gently took his bottom lip between my teeth, and raked them across, letting it slip out of my mouth. A shaking moan burst from James, and I smiled against his lips. He rested his forehead against mine, and let his hands fall to my hips. “God, I needed that” he huffed. I gave him another quick kiss. “Three months of your fucking teasing, I couldn't take it anymore” I said seductively. If he couldn't see the signs now, he was blind.

I was in a haze, all I wanted was James, and I'd be damned if I stopped now. “James?” I asked again, letting my lips fall to his neck. “Mmm?” he replied faintly, his hands sliding down to cup my ass. “I think I'm ready for bed.” I kissed my way back up his neck, and that's all it took. He took my hand wordlessly, and marched me upstairs.  
At the top of the stairs, I stopped at the door to my bedroom. I wanted to tease him just the slightest bit more. “Well, goodnight” I said, moving to open the door. His eyes were stormy, and not entirely approving of my joke. “Sod that” he growled darkly, “I've done enough waiting.” He stepped forward and grabbed my hips, pulling me into another rough kiss. I let out a small whimper. His rough handling was soaking me to the core.

"Where's the bedroom?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will be heating up significantly in the next chapter as you can see. I am getting these out as quickly as I can between work and finals. Thanks for reading!


	3. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get steamy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I am so glad that people are still enjoying this story! Please go easy on me, this is my first time writing anything like this. I hope it's not awful haha. Thanks for reading you guys!

My blood felt like lava. James made me feel small and fragile despite my will to be strong. The thought of him losing his gentle nature and giving over to his lust made me want him all the more. I slid my index fingers into the waistband of his jeans, briefly thinking about what to say or do next. “Where's the bedroom?” 

James gestured to an open doorway down the hall. I backed towards it pulling him along by his trousers, undoing them as we moved along the corridor. He glanced down at my hands and back up to me as we entered the bedroom. The room was dark but it didn't seem to matter, we could both see what we needed. He reached for me, pressing his palms to the bare skin at the hem of my shirt. He slid them up my sides, exploring slowly and gently. I pressed my hands firmly to his hips and pushed his pants and boxers to the floor. In the dim light, I watched the outline of his stiff member spring out from the hem of his boxers as it was freed. I made a noise that was completely need. I needed to touch, to taste. 

James shivered under my gaze as I let my eyes take in his frame. When we made eye contact for the first time I felt the same chill on my skin. I wondered if he was as nervous as I felt. I moved forward and pressed my lips firmly to his trying to chase away any lingering doubt. 

He moved forward, stepping out of his trousers and pulling me close. He suddenly decided that I was far too dressed for his liking. He slid my shirt from my body, taking special care to run his hands up my sides eliciting a moan and a shiver as his reward. He leaned back to get a good look at me, and gave me a wide smile. 

James reached out to run his fingertips down the side of my lace covered breast. I had hoped that this particular undergarment would meet this exact end, but at that particular moment I wanted it gone for good. As he touched me, he let out something between a huff and a laugh, as if he was amazed that all of this was real. I had to admit that I felt the same way. 

I tugged off Jame's shirt and he pulled me into another deep kiss. Tired of the slow back and forth of undressing one another, we both quickly removed the rest of our own clothing. Once we were free of the rest of our clothes, James pulled me in, one hand on my hip, the other tightly wound into my hair. 

His stiff shaft pressed warmly against my lace panties. I pressed my hips forward, nearly expiring from desire. I slid myself down his body, allowing his manhood to slide up my stomach, between my breasts, and finally level to my lips. I brought my fingertips to the sensitive skin, pulling a loud hiss from James' lips. Spurred on, I moved forward to bring my lips to his perfect tip, but he stopped me with a gentle, but strong hand. “No” he whispered. I returned his gaze with a puzzled look of my own. “I've been waiting too long for this,” he began again, “I want to have you properly.” With those words, he pulled me to my feet.

He motioned me to the bed, and that was all of the direction I needed. I laid down against the large pillows on the dark grey bed and marveled at James. He no longer seemed nervous, or embarrassed, and he looked gorgeous. His silvering hair was laying about his face in perfect waves, and his lean legs moved gracefully as he approached the bed. 

He gently rested himself on top of me with one arm supporting himself on either side of my head. I realized that I was holding my breath as he hovered over me. His kisses were soft but passionate, as he brought one palm to rest against my breast. His touches were experimental, but nice. I loved the feeling of his warm chest pressed against mine. The sudden pressure on my breast made me gasp in pleasure, made me ache for what was to come.

I kissed him slowly and pushed his hands to my hips. The only thing between us now was a small lacy piece of clothing covering my center. I lifted up, allowing him to tug them away. The fabric hooked on my toes and James flailed a bit trying to free it. I laughed as James tossed it to the floor giving them a glare and gently coming to rest on top of me. 

He spread my legs, pressing pressing himself against my slit. My laughter changed shape and gasped out into the air as pleasure. James smiled. “Are you sure” He asked, his eyes snapping up to meet mine. I kissed him soundly and rolled my hips forward, reveling in the feeling of hot, soft skin and thick, course hair against my most sensitive of places. He let out a low groan and let his forehead fall to my shoulder. “Good” he huffed, “I don't think I could stop myself now – I mean... I can. If you want. But-” I giggled and stopped his babbling with a kiss. 

He pressed himself into me slowly. I pulled him forward, forcing my lips against his in a passionate, needy kiss. I pressed forward willing him deeper, further. Our kiss broke apart in huffs of pleasure. We both gasped, lips touching, eyes clenched shut. I forced my eyes open to watch him. He stilled completely to give me a chance to adjust to the feeling of him inside of me. I wrapped my legs around him and started to move against him slowly. Without hesitation, James reacted. He pulled out gently ans thrusted back into me, letting out a ragged breath. Our movements were slow and rhythmic as we moved in this sensual dance. I moved against him, meeting him now thrust for thrust. 

James was losing himself in pleasure. I could tell he was still trying to be gentle with me, but he was losing the battle. He hitched his hips forward in a rough, deep, sudden thrust that caused my back to arch in pleasure. I cried out for him and clenched the sheets in my fists. Something that had been forbidden between us was now being allowed, and we were taking full advantage. 

I wrapped my legs around him pulling him as deeply inside me as I could. James' movements became rough and hard, and I met him thrust for thrust. His face was contorted in pleasure and the sight twisted the building pleasure inside of me. We were pushing one another over the edge, and it was exactly what I wanted. I was quickly unraveling, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer. 

“Kiss me” I whimpered, “James, please.”

He lurched forward, crashing his lips into mine. Everything erupted around me as my orgasm crashed through my body. James let out a growl of pleasure that contorted and formed itself into a loud moan as the walls of my core tightened around him. My name burst from his lips in a long moan. James let his head rest in the crook of my neck, his slick forehead sliding against my shoulder. “Jesus” he huffed into my ear as we both tried to catch our breath. I let my legs unwrap from his hips and slide down to tangle with his legs, willing him to stay just like this. 

His lips pressed warmly against my neck. I wrapped my arms around him and ran my fingers over his shoulders and chest. 

“I've wanted that for months” James sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Meredith attend a party. Oz Clarke guest stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get up. I have it all written out, I just have to publish!

It had been an extremely long week. I had taken to sleeping in the study, simply because that's where I usually ended up passing out. I never really had time to stop and think about the absurdity of the situation I found myself in. Apart from being on TV, James was completely normal. When he was home, he bummed around in a tatty old shirt, and worn blue jeans. The ones with holes in the crotch and the rear were his "special ones" for hanging around at home, and he refused to let me fix them. I found it incredibly endearing. 

I hadn't told James that I had begun looking for an apartment. I couldn't stay there, in his house, forever, I knew that. 

It was the city that I fell in love with first. I wasn't leaving anything behind in the US. I would certainly miss my students, but I really felt a connection to London. 

When James arrived, I was splayed out on the floor, the books I had borrowed from the library strewn around me. I had begun my work in the kitchen, but after finishing an entire bowl full of hard, nearly inedible gummy... things that James left around the house, and an entire packet of Jammy Dodgers, I had decided to relocate to remove myself from temptation. 

I heard James come in, he completed his usual task of clinking his keys into a ceramic bowl by the door and slipping off his shoes. Then, he padded off down the hallway looking for me. 

“Good God, woman” he laughed, “What happened in here?” He nudged one of my books with his socked foot.

“Research” I grumbled, reaching for the book to cradle it and make sure he hadn't dirtied it with his nasty feet.

He smirked at me and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Why is it that people of your generation insist on sitting about on the floor?” he sighed.

“Young bones?” I replied cheekily. 

He grunted as he made his way to the floor, squeezing himself between my back and the couch. He stretched his long legs out on either side of me, and I let myself lean back against his belly. He plucked up one of the sheets of scrawled out notes. 

“Lewis Carroll, allegory for Victorian politics, Victorian era propaganda, and reasoning” he read aloud, “Blimey, you need a break.”

“I KNOW” I whined, covering my face, “It's complete shit”

I felt Jame's chest move against my back as he chuckled. “You're completely brilliant” he said in a hushed voice, “I just think you deserve a break. I am going to a poncy wine tasting tonight as a favor, would you like to come with me?”

“Do you think I'm fancy enough for that? It would cause quite a scandal, you showing up with an American.”

He pushed the hair off of my shoulder and pressed his lips to my neck.   
“I'm not sure you being American is what people will be concerned with” he mumbled quietly against my skin, “But they can all fuck off, frankly.”

I smiled and turned my body to kiss him properly. 

 

I had treated myself to a bit of shopping after a particularly stressful and grueling day of research, and found a gorgeous silky deep blue dress. I had decided that I would never have a reason to wear it, but I bought it anyway. I was glad that I had it for tonight. 

James was dressed to the nines, including a very fetching bow tie. His eyes were steel blue against the dark suit, and the silver streaks in his hair framed his face perfectly. 

I threw my hair up in a few braids that tucked messily around my head. I was going for a Kate Winslet, boho chic look, but I had probably missed the mark. 

On the car ride into the city, James continuously flattered me, but I could tell he was almost as nervous as I was. We hadn't gone anywhere together, and certainly nowhere this public. 

I wondered if he was also thinking about how many people would find me tactless and “American”. I tried to breathe and pushed the thought from my head. Instead I focused on taking in the chocolaty brown interior and sultry moan of James' Porche. The car rumbled underneath me and I felt excitement for the first time. 

 

After giving the car over to the attendant, and receiving another quick reassurance from James, we entered the hall. Men in suits, and women in beautiful gowns stood around filling and refilling their glasses. A short, comical, bald man appeared seemingly from nowhere. I recognized him immediately as Oz Clarke, and smiled warmly as I was introduced. 

Everything was happening so quickly, and I nearly didn't have time to breathe. I felt James' reassuring hand leave the small of my back so he could give Oz a brief hug. 

“May I introduce TV's Oz Clarke” James motioned between us. 

“Meredith” I said, receiving a delicate handshake and a kiss on either cheek. “It's nice to meet you” I began again, “I am a fan of your work.”

“Is that so?” Oz smiled. He gave James a meaningful I'm-smooth-talking-your-date grin, and I could feel James roll his eyes. 

“American” Oz spoke again, “how exciting! Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself tonight.” He kissed my cheeks again and turned to James. “James, when you get a chance, we really should say hello to Julia.”

James nodded in a way that said 'oh right', and Oz puttered away. 

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. “How'd I do?” I turned to James, trying to forget the party for a moment.   
“I'd be careful” he replied, “his ego might swallow us all up! He will be trying to feed you wine all night, now.” He smiled. “He was right though, I really should go speak to Julia. I'm sorry” he shrugged, “boring business stuff. Why don't you try some wine, and I'll be right back.”

And then I was alone. 

Right, booze, I could do that. I stood at one of the circular bars. A man in a waiter's livery poured small samples, people sipped audibly, hummed, made other general pondering sounds, then spit into a bucket. 

The last part surprised me. I had been to wine tastings before, and I knew the drill, but spitting was something I had never experienced. I looked around for one of the cards everyone was filling out, and must have looked far more lost than I had intended to. 

“May I offer some help?” The bouncy voice nearly made me jump. A tall, thin man stood before me. His brown hair all stood up to one side in a purposefully mussed kind of way. His face was long and thin with handsome, pointed features, and striking dark eyes. His voice was sing-songy and thick. 

The man smiled brightly. “Looking for one of these?” He offered me on of the sheets I had been looking for. 

“Oh” I sputtered, “Thank you.” I smiled as I took it. 

“Brendan” He grinned again, offering his hand. “Meredith” I replied, receiving a firm handshake. 

“American, eh?” he asked, brilliant smile still resting naturally on his face. 

“Yes!” I replied, almost too enthusiastically. “Scottish?” I asked.

“Good guess” he replied in a thick brogue. “How about we try some wine?”

Brendan and I chose a tasting table. I looked around for James, but there was no sign of him, so I decided to enjoy myself. We took turns picking what we would taste, each time I would refuse to spit, and each time Brendan would spit comically into the silver spitoon. 

We were sharing a raucous laugh when James reappeared. I smelled the wine on him before he spoke. “Well, hello” I said, clearly showing my distaste for him leaving me alone for the entire party. 

“Hello” he replied, his eyes fixed on Brendan, who decided to introduce himself. “I'm Brendan” he smiled kindly.   
“Right” James replied. I knew he was drunk, but it still made me angry. He was the one who left me alone. He should be thankful for Brendan keeping me company.   
“I think it's time for us to go” I said sharply.

I pushed James firmly toward the door, and he complied far more easily than I had expected. I turned back to Brendan, pleading his forgiveness with my eyes.   
“I'll ring you” he smiled back sympathetically. 

 

“Keys.” I demanded when the valet brought the car. 

“I'm perfectly capable of driving” he slurred. 

“Well, I'm not riding with you!” I retorted indignantly.  
He mumbled something unbecoming before handing over the keys. I took off, following the sat-nav back to Hammersmith

“I suppose I can't leave you anywhere without you being picked up by some bloke” his voice broke the silence like a rock through a window.

“You left me alone James! Brendan was trying to be nice!” My voice came out louder than I expected. Before the argument had a chance to go any further, we pulled into the garage. Once inside the house, I went straight to my bedroom. How dare he? I'm not here to be at his command! What was I here for?

I got undressed, and got into bed. I let myself fume until I fell asleep.


	5. Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who are still reading! I would love any feedback you have!

I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing on my side table. I must have completely passed out the night before. My skull felt think, and my mind, fuzzy. I groped blindly for my phone, finally snapping it to my ear. “Hello?” I croaked. “Hello?”

I peered down at the small screen, one eye opened and the other closed tightly to protect from the searing light of the phone. The words 1 NEW VOICEMAIL emblazoned across the screen.

I carefully opened my other eye as I tapped the phone in the appropriate places to reach my voice-mail.  
The cheerful voice on the message was almost too much. “Good morning! This is Kate! We spoke about the room to let. I think it will be perfect! Looking forward to meeting you! Ring me back! Ta!”

A quick call back confirmed that I would indeed be moving out. But, on the upside I would be staying in London. Once my work visa came through, and I was officially working at the library, I would officially be an ex-pat.

My mind slipped quickly to James. I was still upset with him from the night before. He had behaved terribly on our first real outing together, and had been very rude to someone whom I had just met. What would moving to London mean for him, or for us?

I sighed deeply and stretched. No time like the present. So I went to find James.

I found him in what was essentially his basement. The contents of a drawer and several cabinets were strewn over the floor. James stood amongst the mess swearing under his breath. He was either trying to repair or destroy (I couldn't tell which) a small metal tool. The object fell to pieces and clattered to the floor with an ear-piercing clang.

James winced and leaned back on the counter with a huff. The hangover must have been brutal, but the man couldn't sleep past 9AM even if he wanted to.

“Spring cleaning?” I asked n a voice that honestly could have been quieter.  
“Morning” he mumbled, bending to pick up the pile of metal scrap from the floor. “Didn't hear you come down.  
I nodded in acknowledgment. “What are you doing down here?” I asked.  
“Uh...” he began forcefully pressing the tool back together. “I came down here.... for this” he gritted out between grunts. He held up an ancient looking egg beater which he then nearly dropped again.

“Oh” I said, nodding again.  
“I was trying to cook you breakfast” he mumbled, casting his eyes to the floor.  
“Oh yea?” I remarked in mock surprise, “What for?”  
James' eyes shifted back up to me. “You're really going to make me say it aren't you” He sighed.  
“Probably” I smiled, “Go on then”  
“I'm sorry. I was a massive clot. I know how I can get after a few glasses of wine, and I never should have left you alone.”

I smiled in reply and made a show of rolling my eyes. He looked like a scolded schoolboy who'd been found with a girly magazine, cheeks red and eyes downcast.

I couldn't stay mad at him, I knew that. And what was I truly mad about? Him being jealous? Him leaving me alone at a party?  
No.  
It was the fact that he was jealous without need. Didn't he know how I felt about him?

James walked the few paces between us, and took my face in his empty palm.

He stood so that our bodies were nearly touching. Close enough that I had to look straight up into his eyes.  
“I truly am sorry. What kind of imbecile leaves a pretty girl alone at a party?” He smiled and moved to kiss me.  
“You think you can sweet talk your way out of this?”  
“Well, I'm bloody well going to try” He smiled and brought his lips to mine. “Can we discuss this over breakfast?”

 

James, having given up on any style of eggs which required beating, prepared us a fry up. Mounds of fried eggs and thick slices of spam which he lovingly referred to as “the cure for everything” (hangovers included). I had almost by that point, gotten used to the idea of baked beans mingling with my other breakfast foods. I passed on including them this particular morning.

“I'll save mine for when you have barbecue to go with them, thanks” I remarked as James offered to spoon a large portion onto my plate.

“I'll never understand the American love affair with barbecues” he replied through a mouthful of toast. “They really are rubbish. Give a man some hot coals and raw meat and suddenly he thinks he's Gordon Ramsay, when in reality, he is truly just a neanderthal who couldn't even boil the kettle!”

“Says the man who regards Spam as one of the main food groups” I chided, holding up a well done slice of the stuff.

“I am a very patient man, but one thing I'll not tolerate is blasphemy” he said squinting and pointing the tines of his fork at me.

“Right, sorry” I smirked. I had nearly forgotten what I had set out to tell James this morning. After a few more bites in silence, I spoke up.

“I've had some news” I said swallowing my food.  
“Oh? Whats that?” He replied shoveling a large piece of egg into his mouth.  
“My grant came through”  
“And what does that mean for you?”  
“Well,” I replied, taking a beat to collect my thoughts, “it means that I'm staying”

He was quiet for a lifetime before I spoke up again.

“Well, it means that I will have living allowance as well as money to continue my research. I'll be able to afford my own place. And once my work visa comes through, I can get a proper job at a library or something.” It all came out in a stream of words, and I waited for James' reaction.

“Seems, like you have it all figured out” he said, not looking up from his breakfast.

“I thought you'd be happy. I mean, it's not like I can stay here forever”

“No, certainly not” he said, almost making it one word. “Well, we already know how good you are at making new friends. Although I may have ruined your chances with that Scottish bloke from last night.” He stood up quickly and took his dishes in the sink.

The room spun a little as his words hit me. Ruined my chances?!

“You must be joking!” I spat out, sounding far more angry than I had intended. I was standing next to him before I even knew that I had moved. His eyes snapped up to meet mine, and his mouth hung open as if he was failing to speak.

“If you truly think that I want to be with Brendan, then everything I ever thought about your intelligence is clearly wrong.”

He gaped some more, words failing him. “I just...” he began finally.  
“You were just being an idiot” I finished for him. “You must know how I feel about you, James”  
I was never good at holding my tongue when my emotions took control. I prepared myself for the worst.  
“What?” He laughed, seemingly in shock.  
At this point I was shouting with my eyes turned down to the floor. “I'm crazy about you! A moron could have figured that out by now! I would have thought that all of this...” I was stopped short by James' lips crashing into mine.

The kiss was heated and his hands were still damp from the sink. My mind went blank, and my shoulders deflated instantly. All anger leaving my body. The room was filled only by the soft clicking of lips meeting and parting again. When we separated, I stood briefly with my eyes closed, unable to move.

“I thought I'd made it clear.” He said sympathetically, “I want you too. Why do you think I have let you stay here? Do you think I _like_ that the hallway smells of women’s shampoo, or that you burn popcorn every time you use the microwave? Do you think I like having to share my beer, or _talk_ about what to have for dinner? Of course not! But, I like _you_. Having you around has been a nightmare, but it's the best time I've had in years.”

“Really?” I said beaming, eyes filling with happy tears.

“Yes. And if you bloody cry, then I'm leaving.”

“Sorry” I laughed, wiping my eyes. I kissed him softly and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Good, now if you'd be so kind” he said, pulling me forward by the elastic of my pajamas, “these are in my way.”


	6. Chapter 6

James didn’t seem to have an opinion on my moving to London. Our entire “discussion” on the topic consisted of shrugs and non-committal noises from James and me rolling my eyes. He thought it would be brilliant, but couldn’t see how it made much difference where I lived.   
I resisted teasing him about not wanting me to leave. 

The daunting task of moving to a new country lie ahead of me. Paperwork and massive piles of boxes stacked to the horizon haunted my dreams and all of my waking thoughts. No turning back now. 

“Are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?” James’ voice buzzed over a faulty foreign phone line.  
“Yes! For the last time!” I laughed, “You’re in Asia for heaven’s sake!”   
“But I could easily come back. They’ve finished filming this bit. It’s all just voiceovers and cut shots now.”  
“James! I promise I’ve got it. I’ll see you in three weeks.” I laughed at how ridiculous he was being. He was never bothered by international travel before, or planes, or my ability to take apart and pack up furniture. However, in the past week he had brought the topic of travel up countless times. Plane crashes and mugging, and the common cold. All things that may happen on my way back to America. All things he thought he could somehow prevent if he accompanied me. “I’ll miss you” I added quickly.   
“Yea, yea…Just be careful and that lark.” he replied. 

 

By the time I emerged from the sea of boxes that was my apartment, it had been 2 weeks. In that time I had only had the occasional email from James. Sometimes I was too busy to even think about him, and other times I would stare at my phone expectantly for several minutes without realizing it. I hesitated to call simply because I knew how busy he must be. The last I had heard they were re-shooting a few scenes and letting each of the presenters do their own piece while they were in an “exotic location”. He had been waylaid because he was waiting for his car to arrive from Germany or Italy or England… or wherever it was coming from. 

I had just gotten out of a nice long hot shower on my 18th night in the states when my laptop pinged to announce a video message. I had made a video chat account for James, and had taught him how to operate it. I never expected him to actually use it. I must have just missed him. I immediately called back, but no answer.   
I clicked back to the voicemail, and James calm baritone played through the speakers. 

“Hello…uh…Sorry I missed you.” He said, shifting in his seat and fixing his hair a bit in the camera. He was wearing one of my favorite loudly patterned shirts and a dark grey sport coat. His tidy hotel room including one large bed were dimly lit in the background.   
“Blimey, I can’t believe I’m actually using this thing…ehm…I don’t know. All seems a bit pervy if I’m honest.” He gestured with his hands as he spoke. 

“Anyway” he sighed, “We are going out for our first big shoot of the new set we are doing. It’s about 6AM here, you’ve probably fallen asleep… or you’re out. Anyway, team meeting in about 5 minutes, so I’ve gotta run. That’s about it here.” There was a pause. “Except that I miss you.” His nose wrinkled and he gave himself a disapproving shake of the head. James looked off towards the door again and ended the call with a quick “bye”. 

I smiled to myself. James wasn’t one for sentimentality (unless it came to cars or old motorbikes), and he wasn’t one for romantic gestures. Something so sweet should be rewarded. 

Then I had an idea. 

I pushed the girls up in my towel, tousled my hair, put on my best bedroom eyes and clicked the redial button. If he wanted a bit pervy, I could do a bit pervy. The video voicemail kicked on and I did my best to be alluring. I leaned forward slightly exposing myself just enough and gave my camera a sultry look. I swallowed down how silly I felt, and began telling James how much I missed him, and how happy I would be to be at home with him. I signed off with another smile. Feeling very satisfied with myself, I went off to dry my hair. Between the volume of my music, and the sound of my dryer, I didn’t hear my phone ring. Twice.

 

It was nearly an hour later before I noticed the missed calls. Two phone calls, I thought, mentally congratulating myself. My message must have really worked. I smiled to myself and rang James. He answered on the third ring, and I heard James saying “Yes, yes, do shut up…”  
“James?” I giggled.  
“Hello.” He replied, his voice sounding unusually high pitched, almost panicky.   
“Hi, is everything alright?” I asked, now very concerned, given his tone of voice.  
He took in a deep breath. “Well,” he began, speaking quietly as if he knew people would be listening if he didn’t keep his voice down “I wish you had told me about that video you sent.”

My heart stopped cold in my chest.

“Why?”

“After the team meeting, we stopped back by my room to retrieve my watch. Seems I forgot it in my haste to get ready this morning. The computer was making this awful bonging noise, and when I went to see that it wasn’t going to blow up… your message began to play and I didn’t know how to shut it off.”

His voice was a mixture of anger and worry, and I couldn’t decide which was being directed at me.   
“We…” I repeated, “Who’s we?” I clenched my eyes closed awaiting his answer.

“Andy, Jeremy, Iain, and myself.”  
The names floated around in my head for a moment before I found the ability to speak. The words ‘I’m sorry’ were on my lips when I heard them come from the speaker on my phone. 

“What?” I asked.

“”I’m sorry,” he repeated “I couldn’t figure out how to turn the bloody thing off. I know it wasn’t meant for everyone to see. I’m very sorry.” His voice was quiet and low.   
“Did everyone see it, James?” I asked with a groan.  
“Just the beginning, before I snapped my computer shut.” He said.

“Long enough for Jeremy Clarkson to see me naked?” I whined, embarrassed.  
He gave what sounded like an aborted laugh. “I’m afraid so.”

I let out another miserable groan. “I should have known the first time I did something like that this would happen.”  
“First time?” He asked with an air of astonishment “Really?”  
“I can hardly see how that’s important right now, James, but yes.” My moth moved to speak again, but James cut me off.  
“”I feel rather special now.” He said almost to himself.  
“I’m sorry?” I replied.  
“That’s rather nice, actually” he mused, “You doing that just for me. I think I’ll watch the entire message when I get back to my room. That’s if I can get the bloody thing running.”  
“Alone this time if you please, Mr. May.” I said, laughing for the first time.  
“Yes, I do think that would be best. Hang on…”  
I could hear him speaking to someone then he came back to me. “I’ve got to go, darling. They’re calling us back.”  
“Alright” I sighed, “Miss you. Enjoy yourself!”  
“I’m sure I would if my esteemed colleagues could stop taking the piss for 2 minutes.”  
“I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you.” I said quietly.  
“Not at all. It’s worth it as far as I’m concerned. They’re jealous really. I’ve got a pretty girl sending me racy messages, and they haven’t, frankly.”  
“Okay” I laughed.  
“Okay, gotta go. Bye.”  
I groaned again and flopped back onto my bed. “Well done, Meredith” I said to nobody. Eventually I let myself sleep.


	7. Flat-Pack Furniture and Floppy Hair

Three days later I was taking my first steps into my new apartment. I was so grateful that it was someone else’s job to figure out the logistics of moving to a different country. When I got to my new place, it was stacked with boxes and furniture. I set out my tiny toolkit and got to work. I hadn’t seen James yet, and it was killing me to stay away. I sent a text letting him know that I was back in town, but still hadn’t heard a word. He had gotten back the day before me. He was probably just jet-lagged… probably. 

I had just finished nailing the pins in the backboard of my bookcase when my buzzer rang. I was not used to this sort of intercom system. None of my older apartments had any such thing. I went over to the small speaker box and flailed trying to figure out which button operated what. I finally mashed the largest one on the square panel and sputtered, “Hello?”

“Hello, it’s me. May I come up?”

I buzzed him in (I think) and opened the door for him. I saw his floppy hair bouncing up the 3 flights of stairs and waited for him patiently. When he reached me he was out of breath and I could see the flowers he was carrying. 

“This would have been… much more… romantic if I didn’t have to scale 3 flights of stairs” he panted.

“It was very romantic anyway” I smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m headed to a meeting, but I wanted to stop by because I’m on your side of town. So, I have to dash, but…”

“You just couldn’t stand being without me for one more second?” I finished for him.

“Something like that” He smiled and kissed me soundly. I had truly missed that feeling. It had been far too long, and we were wrapped up in it before we knew it. I broke away reluctantly when my neighbor’s door opened. 

“Are those for me?” I asked gesturing to the flowers. 

“Oh, right, yes” he stammered. I laughed at him and ushered him inside to show him around. 

“Bloody nora!” he exclaimed once we were inside. “It’s a shoebox!”

“Thanks” I replied looking around. It may have been a shoebox but it was my shoebox and I was proud of it. 

“I’m sorry…” he muttered. “Why don’t you show me around?”

We walked around and I described where everything would go in my bedroom and how only three parts of the hob worked in the kitchen. I told him about how I had waited for 30 minutes for a small pot of water to boil for tea before I realized that the burner didn’t work. 

“Boiled water in a pot?” James exclaimed indignantly, “That’s barbaric”

“Well, that, and I couldn’t find any mugs.” I said with a frown. “Did you just come over to insult me, May?”

Somehow that snapped him back to reality. “Oh, shit. Speaking of that, I’ve got to go.”

“Well, when is your meeting done? I mean… you could… come back.” I said, smiling and wrapping my arms around his waist and under his coat.” 

“Tempting” he said pressing his lips to mine.

A few hours later the buzzer sounded again. “Come on up” I spoke into the speaker box. James took his time coming upstairs this time and knocked politely. I opened the door to find James with a bright red electric kettle. 

“I’ve decided to be helpful.” He said with a cheesy smile. “I thought you could make us a proper cup of tea and we could get some work done.”

I looked out into my mess of boxes and wrapping paper and smiled sheepishly “As soon as I find the mugs.”

Once we found the mugs and enjoyed our tea, I started with the largest box, my dresser. Luckily it had come flat packed, so the lovely moving men had taken it apart and packed it away for me. The only problem was that it didn’t come with directions on how to put the damn thing back together.

Meanwhile, James worked on putting the bed together. An hour later, my large chest of drawers was together and sitting casually in my living room. Filled with ambition and pride, I had moved on to a small desk that James deemed “in need of repair”. 

Midway through fixing the last of the legs with some creative gluing, I heard a very loud swear word come from my bedroom. I shot up from where I was sitting and ran the few paces to the bedroom worried that something horrible had happened. When I reached the doorway, I could see James, sitting in a mess of wood planks and metal.

“What are you doing?” I giggled.

“Working on this sodding bed!” he nearly shouted, “I had the bloody thing all the way put together and realized the slats wouldn’t go in because the screws were crooked. I’ve spent the past twenty minutes taking it apart and now I’m trying to put it back together!”

I paused for a moment, blinking at him, then burst into laughter again. 

“S’not funny” he mumbled. 

This only prompted me to laugh harder which eventually made him laugh as well. I went over and sat down beside him. He pushed his rolled up sleeves a bit further up his forearms and I ran my fingers through his hair. I gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, still laughing slightly. 

When I pulled away, he immediately pulled me back into a much deeper kiss. We sat there for a moment, slowly kissing, tongues marking familiar territory and hands roaming.

James stopped suddenly, pulling away slightly before throwing his head back and letting out a groan of exasperation. 

“I’m sorry” he said, “I can’t stop thinking of flat packed furniture.”

I slid my hand under the waistband of his trousers. He shuddered in response. I took a half step forward, bringing my leg gently but firmly between his thighs and pressed my lips close to his ear. 

“Why don’t you try taking me apart instead?”

A huff escaped James’ mouth. There was a pause, but only for a moment before his lips were pressed to mine, and I was moving to open his flies. 

“Fuck the bed” I said between kisses, “we don’t need it”

“I hope you don’t have any other…ah…plans tonight” he gasped. I had finally gotten purchase on his member, and was slowly beginning my work. 

“Why’s that?” I remarked with a sly smile. James grabbed my wrist and looked into my eyes as he pulled me away.

“Because I plan on taking my time with you.”


End file.
